In the Balance
by Rebecca Jayne
Summary: A story following the episode 'Stolen Dreams', though this story explores what may have happened if Stella and Frankie had survived.
1. Prologue

Dust and ashes were swirling round everywhere.

"STELLA!" Doctor Ormerod shouted, "FRANKIE?"

"Gordon, there's no chance…" Doctor Weatherill said, through tears.

"It was my fault…if I'd told Stella not to go in then this wouldn't have happened."

"You can't blame yourself."

All of a sudden, they heard a banging and a cry for help.

"Over here!" The fireman called.

Gordon rushed over, closely followed by Jill. Luckily, the explosion had blown most of the debris trapping Stella and Frankie away and made it easy for the firemen to shift away.

"You need to help!" Frankie climbed out of the rubble, Gordon gave a sigh of relief.

"Where's Stella?" Asked Jill, alarmed.

"You need to get to her," Frankie caught his breath, "she's not breathing and there's barely a pulse, you can't let her die!" He cried, devastated.

"Right." Gordon went to help the firemen lift her out and onto a stretcher.

"Stella!" Frankie called.

Jill pulled him back.

"They're doing everything Frankie, just wait," she told him.

After ten minutes, they'd got the young nurse out of the wreckage and were trying to get her breathing.

"Come on Stella…" Gordon muttered to himself, "right, she's breathing, get her to The Royal, fast, she needs a ventilator."

"A ventilator?" Frankie said, alarmed.

"Oh no!" Jill gasped, tears streaming down her face.


	2. Chapter One

The Casualty doors abruptly opened and Doctors Ormerod and Weatherill came rushing through, wheeling Stella to A&E.

"Stella?" Marian cried, in shock, "what happened, is she okay?"

"Not now Nurse, we need to get her on a ventilator now or else we're going to lose her." Gordon instructed.

Marian's hands clammed up and her legs turned to jelly. Her best friend was lying there, critically injured, she looked so helpless and frail.

"NURSE MCKAIG! I SAID NOW!" Gordon yelled.

Marian blinked.

"Yes, sorry Doctor." And with that, she rushed off to set up a ventilator.

Matron hurried down the corridor to reception, where Mr Carnegie, Sister Brigid, Mr Rose and Lizzie were waiting, anxious to hear of any news.

"Matron…?" Sister asked, being an instinctive woman, she could tell that something was wrong.

"There's been an explosion at the arcade, Nurse Davenport, Frankie and a fourteen year old girl were in the wreckage at the time," their faces turned from looks of anxiety to looks of horror, "Frankie's fine, just a few minor cuts and bruises and Stella…she's…in Casualty now, they're going to put her on a ventilator."

Everyone looked alarmed.

"And the girl?" Sister asked.

"There was nothing they could do." Matron turned and walked off.

"Is there any news on Stella?" Lizzie asked, later on.

Alun shook his head.

"No, not yet, she's stable but still critical, no signs of improvement." He replied, worriedly.

Lizzie sighed.

"After everything she's been through, she doesn't deserve this at all."

"I know, do you think she'll be alright?" He asked.

"Don't Alun, please, it doesn't even bare thinking about!"

"Sorry, I will say this though, she's strong and determined, Stella can fight this, can't she?" They both looked hopeful, but worried.

The ventilator was working away. Stella lay there, her long dark hair spread out on the pillow, her face was so pale, yet she looked peaceful. She was sleeping, she was weak and was recovering. She looked so delicate, like she could shatter if she was touched. Who knows whether she dreamt as she lay there? Stella was a much valued and highly respected member of staff at The Royal, though she was more than that, she was a very special friend to many. She had a good sense of humour, a bright, beautiful smile and a caring way about her. She's been through a lot and had not really recovered fully. She'd just learned to trust Frankie.

Was all that hope about to be blown apart?


	3. Chapter Two

The ventilator was puffing away. It had been for over a week now, and still, Stella was showing no sign of waking. Time was running out fast. Doctors and Nurses had been in and out of her room every five minutes, she wasn't even stable yet, they were still awaiting her final test results, the vital ones, the ones that would decide whether she would ever wake up.

The door to her room opened…again, but this time it was Frankie. He looked exhausted. He'd spent the night at the hospital, beside Stella every minute, he had done ever since she'd been there. He'd only left for a couple of hours each night to get some rest. He loved her, there was no doubt about it and he would do anything to keep her from harm and now he felt it was his duty to be there for her.

"Stella? Look, I hope you can hear me, I just want to tell you, you mean everything to me, you'll never know how much I love you and I'm not just saying that, I really mean it, with all my heart, and if anything happened to you…" Frankie took hold of Stella's hand as if he would never let go, he couldn't quite finish his sentence but one can probably make a guess on what he would have said.

"Frankie, a 999 call for you," Matron said, urgently, she glanced at Stella, with a look of sadness on her face and then rushed off, with Frankie following behind, closely, but reluctantly.

The ambulance came hurtling round the corner and stopped abruptly behind two cars, which both looked extremely battered and badly dented, they'd collided. The drivers were both alright, just a bit shaken and the passenger was a young girl, she was slightly dazed, but given the all clear when the doctor looked her over.

"Alright Frankie, let's get her back to The Royal," Nick Burnett instructed.

"Hospital? Will she be okay?" A concerned father asked.

"Oh yes she'll be fine, she just has mild concussion, we'd like to keep her under observation overnight, it's just routine, nothing to get too stressed about." Nick helped Frankie lift the girl onto a stretcher, into the ambulance and slammed the doors behind. Frankie stood there, staring into space.

"Come on then Frankie…Frankie?"

"What? Oh sorry Doc." He apologised and began to walk off.

Nick ran after him.

"Look, hey, I know you're worried about Stella, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"No it's alright…it's just, her results are coming back today, then we'll know whether…"

"Ah…look, for what it's worth, I think she'll be fine, she's not deteriorated at all, that's got to be a good sign eh?"

"I suppose so, but no-one knows yet." He finished, and got into the ambulance.

Nick sighed and got into his car to follow.

"Ah, Frankie…I've got the results back, come into my office, please." Jill said once Nick and Frankie had settled the girl in, she looked anxious, and Frankie feared the worst.


	4. Chapter Three

"Okay, now, the results show no internal damage and no brain damage…which is good news but really, she should have woken by now." Jill informed Frankie.

There was a look of dismay on his pale face.

"So…what does it mean then, will she…?" He questioned.

"We'll give her another week and then decide. Frankie, do you want me to tell the others?"

Frankie shook his head.

"No, no, I can, but could you tell Matron please?"

"Of course," Jill agreed.

Marian, Nick, Susie, Lizzie and Alun were waiting anxiously in the tea room.

"What do you think the results will be?" Susie asked.

"Who knows, she hasn't woken up yet, I guess we'll just have to wait." Lizzie replied, glumly.

Frankie entered the room, everyone looked at him, questioningly.

"Doctor Weatherill said there's no internal damage and no brain damage but she should have come round by now, she's giving her another week until…"

A look of horror came upon the group's faces and tears came to the girls' eyes.

"Are there any signs of improvement yet?" Nick asked.

Frankie shrugged and wandered off. Lizzie and Susie looked at one another worriedly.

Marian set a bunch of brightly coloured flowers in a vase next to her best friend.

"Here, these might cheer this room up a bit." She looked round, the room was painted cream, very plain, but the flowers brightened it up a bit anyway.

"You have to wake up, for Frankie, more than anyone else," She said, in her soft, Scottish voice, "he's worried sick, though he's not giving up hope, whatever the doctors say."

Doctor Ormerod entered the room.

"Any change?" He asked.

"Not yet, but she's definitely not getting any worse."

"I suppose that's good then…I thought you went off shift an hour ago?"

"I was supposed to, I thought I should spend some time with my best friend before I go, I can stay on overnight if you need me to?" Marian volunteered.

"I shouldn't think that'll be necessary, Sister Brigid is on tonight and it's fairly quiet so I'm sure she can manage." Gordon paused. "Don't start worrying Nurse, not yet." He reassured her, and left.

Marian turned back to talk to Stella again and stroked her hair gently.

"You've come through so much, don't give up now." She shut her eyes for a moment.

"I wasn't planning on it." Stella whispered.

Marian opened her eyes hastily, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She wasn't. Stella was awake.

"Stella!" She breathed a sigh of relief.

Stella smiled back at her sleepily.


	5. Chapter Four

Frankie came skidding down the corridor.

"Slow down Frankie, she's fine!" Marian laughed.

"Oh Stella, I've been so worried, I thought you were going to…"

"Well, I didn't did I?" Stella cut in.

As soon as Stella had regained consciousness, Matron had phoned all her friends, and now they were all gathered there, looking relieved and relaxed again now everything was going to be okay. It was a very touching scene, Stella, already, was sat up and smiling, despite what had happened she still looked as beautiful as ever. She had already been taken off the ventilator, her long hair cloaked around her shoulders, her cheeks rosy, she looked as if nothing had happened! Her little group of friends were already chattering away to her, it was just like old times. At that moment, Doctors Weatherill and Ormerod walked in.

"Ah, Nurse Davenport, nice of you to join us!" Doctor Ormerod smiled, "you know, you seem to be somewhat of a medical miracle." He finished, and winked.

"Glad to see you looking so much better, you gave us all quite a scare for a while!" Doctor Weatherill added.

"I'm sorry," Stella giggled, "thank you for looking after me."

"Don't be ridiculous, it's our job!" Doctor Ormerod replied, grinning.

"Nurses of all people shouldn't be ending up in hospital though, especially if they work there!"

"Sometimes it just can't be helped, and anyway, I'm sorry, I should have stopped you from going in there I feel awful." 

Stella shook her head.

"No, no, sometimes we have to take risks, it was no-ones fault."

"Well, we could blame that woman that went and lit her cigarette near the gas." Doctor Weatherill chipped in.

"I suppose so, but that still wouldn't do any good, it doesn't mean that what happened didn't happen."

"Ah well I suppose your right," Doctor Weatherill sighed, "anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Like I'm ready to go home…"

"Well we'll keep you in overnight, just to be on the safe side and then you can probably go home tomorrow."

Stella nodded.

"I'm sorry." Frankie said, meaningfully.

"For what?" Asked Stella, slightly puzzled.

"That all this happened to you, not me."

The other slipped out of the room, quietly, leaving just the two of them to talk.

"Frankie, if you were in my position and had been in a coma for a week, I would be a wreck."

"You would?" He replied, sounding surprised.

"Of course." She said, softly, and lent forward to give him a hug.


	6. Chapter Five

Frankie walked up to Stella, looking alarmed, she had only been discharged earlier that day and was already working again, against Doctor Weatherill's orders.

"Stella, what are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm doing the medication." She replied.

"But you heard what the doc said, you need to take it easy, no working for at least a week!"

"Look, I can't just sit around, I feel fine, please, stop fussing!"

He sighed.

"You are unbelievable, you can't always be the bionic woman you know."

She rolled her eyes at him and walked off.

* * *

><p>Frankie knocked on Jill's door.<p>

"Come in!" She called.

"Doctor Weatherill, you do know Stella's working again don't you?"

"What…? But I told her…"

"I know, she said she feels fine and she told me to stop fussing."

"Look, I'll speak to her in a minute."

"Thank you doc." He turned and left.

Jill sighed and Gordon looked at her, eyebrows raised.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing! Don't you think that if she says she's alright we should just let her?"

"Gordon! She's been through a lot, you can't just let her take work full on just like that, you know what Stella's like, she works so hard, we can't let her, not after something as serious as that." Jill told him, exasperated.

"Well you're her doctor, I'll leave it to you."

"Yes Gordon, you will leave it to me." And she got up and went.

* * *

><p>"Oh there you are Stella!" Jill finally found her in Fawcett Ward, "what are you doing?"<p>

"Working." Stella sniffed, in reply.

"Are…are you alright?"

"Yes." She said, trying to hold back tears.

"What is it?" Jill asked, in a caring, motherly tone.

"Nothing, nothing, it's just…so stupid!" And Stella burst into tears.

"Hey, look, come to my office where we can talk." She ushered her out of the ward and down the corridor.

* * *

><p>"Now, what is it? Why did you come back to work so quickly when I specifically said not to?" Jill asked, gently.<p>

"Sometimes I just get these…flashbacks, why did I survive and not the girl? She was so brave. I feel like it's all my fault. Everything…it was so frightening in the wreckage, I though we were all…and I thought if I just tried to get back to normal, it would all be alright but…"

"Stella, it wasn't your fault, the girl had already died after the second collapse, the one that blocked you in." Jill reassured her.

"But…Frankie went to her, he said she was fine!"

Jill realised she'd said the wrong thing.

"Stella, he probably didn't want to upset you anymore than you were."

There was a look of sadness in Stella's eyes for a moment, then she got up and slowly walked off.


	7. Chapter Six

"Are you still here?" Frankie entered the tearoom where Stella was, alone.

"What does it look like?" She replied coldly.

"Stella…"

"Why did you lie to me Frankie?" She asked, tears glimmering in her hazel brown eyes.

"You what?" He puzzled.

"About Louise, the girl we tried to save, when you came to find me, you told me she was alright, when all along she…" Stella shouted.

"Stella, you were growing weaker by the minute, I was trying to keep your spirits up, I wasn't going to lose you!" He defended himself.

"She was so young, it should've been me! Not her." She finished and stormed off, nearly knocking Marian over on her way out.

"What's going on?" Marian asked.

"It's just a bit of a disagreement about what happened at the arcade last week, about the young girl, Louise."

"What about her?"

"When I went in, Stella asked me to make sure she was okay, I told her she was…"

"And she wasn't? She'd already gone." Marian guessed.

"Yes, and I was only trying to keep Stella's spirits up because she was starting to give up, and I thought if she knew…well, she said I should have told her and now she's blaming herself, saying it should've been her, not the girl."

"Where's she gone now then?"

"Back to the ward I suppose."

"No, she just went out the front, I saw her go." Susie waltzed in, examining her nails.

"Well, where was she going?" Marian asked, in panic.

Susie shrugged, not seeming to care and not realising the urgency of the matter.

"Are you free now Marian?" Urged Frankie.

"Yes, I'm on a lunchbreak." She said.

"Can you come and help me find her?"

"Sure, where do you think she'll be?"

* * *

><p>Frankie and Marian ran to the arcade, well, what was left of it. They scanned the scene, it was a right mess, just one big pile of wood, dust and metal beams, and right along the edge, sat on a bench, Stella sat, hunched up and motionless.<p>

"Stella?" Marian walked over to where she was sat and joined her, "are you alright?" She put her arms round Stella's shoulders.

"I don't know, everything's such a muddle at the moment." She replied, with an edge of doubt in her voice.

"I know, look, no-one's to blame for what happened to Louise. Frankie said she was so weak, we would never have got her out in time, and you were with her, you did your best to comfort her."

"I know, I saw what a state she was in, I suppose I knew all along that she wouldn't come out alive, I just wish I could have done more, even so." She spoke slowly and sadly.

"Look, it's freezing out here, are you coming back to The Royal?"

Stella thought for a moment, then nodded and stood up.

Frankie walked over to meet them.

"I'm sorry for having a go at you Frankie, I know you were just trying your best to…help me."

"It's alright, you had every right to be angry with me, I should've been more honest."

He too put his arm around her shoulders, and him and Marian accompanied her back to St. Aiden's, she was safe.


	8. Chapter Seven

"Are you really sure you're ready?" Marian asked, concerned for her friend.

Stella took a deep breath.

"Yes. This time I am, really." She replied firmly. It was a week since she was discharged, Stella had finally agreed to take time off like Doctor Weatherill advised, but now she was back and raring to go. She stopped for a moment to look up at the hospital and then carried on walking.

"Jill!" Gordon stopped her in the corridor.

"Yes Gordon?" She said, with a smile on her face.

"Do you know what happened to my blue shirt?"

"Blue shirt?"

"Yes…you know, my shirt…the one that's…well…blue!"

Jill tried to smother a laugh.

"No…I haven't, sorry."

"Oh come on, I'm not daft you know!"

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"I might have accidently…" She started.

"Accidently what…?"

"Accidently put it through the wash, and, well…it shrunk." By now, she was laughing hysterically.

"Jill, it's not funny! I liked that shirt!"

"Oh for goodness' Gordon, it's just a shirt and it was an accident, see the funny side of it!" She told him.

"Yes, I suppose it is rather amusing." He grinned, kissed her on the cheek affectionately and went into his office.

"Good morning The Royal!" Spoke Lizzie, she'd only just put the phone down, then, seconds later, it rang again, it had been like that since she got in. "All the doctors' lists are full this morning Mrs Piper…" She paused, whilst Mrs Piper shouted down the phone and then pulled a face while she held the phone away from her ear. Alun came and leant against the desk. "No, I can't book you in because the lists are full. I just told you that! No! If you ring back this evening you can book for tomorrow…I can't cancel anything this morning, look if we get any cancellations this morning I'll phone you, but for now you'll just have to call back this evening…goodbye!" And with that, she slammed down the phone in a mood. "It's been a right madhouse in here all morning!"

"You've only been here an hour!" Alun replied.

"I know, it's madder than ever and there's no big emergency or whatever!"

"I know, I'm busy too so see you later alright?"

"Alright."

Up on the wards, the doctors were doing their rounds and nurses were measuring out medication.

"Getting on alright?" Marian went up to Stella, looking smug.

"Look, I'm not an invalid you know, and anyway, what are you looking so pleased about?" She replied cheerily.

"Ahh wouldn't you like to know!" Marian teased in reply.

"It wouldn't be to do with a certain Doctor Burnett would it?"

"What do you think?" She smiled.


	9. Chapter Eight

"Frankie?" Stella was on her lunchbreak for an hour and had gone to find Frankie, eventually she found him, sat cross legged in the back of the ambulance eating a sandwich.

"Stella." He answered.

"I just wondered, if you wanted to…well…"

"Come for a walk by the seafront? I'd love to, I just didn't want to go on my own."

"Scared of the little kids with their spades are we?" She teased, "no, I was going to say…do you want to…come to the pictures with me tonight?" She asked shyly.

"Mmm, 'course." He said eagerly, through a mouthful of crust, "just me and you?"

"…Yes…if you want." She hesitated slightly.

"Stella, don't worry, you can trust me." He reassured her, he could see that she was looking slightly reluctant.

"I know." She said softly.

* * *

><p>"Oh Lizzie put the kettle on will you?" Alun came rushing in, "Lizzie?"<p>

"What?" She replied, looking up from her magazine.

"Kettle?"

"What about it?"

"Can you put it on please?"

"It's already boiled."

"Well, can you make me a cuppa then?"

"No! Do it yourself! My job is to make doctors' tea, not yours!"

"Fine then!" He huffed.

* * *

><p>That afternoon, the whole hospital was strangely quiet. Everywhere was peaceful, there were just two casualties, who, by now were settled on the wards. The patients were all content and the doctors and ward nurses were completing paperwork.<p>

* * *

><p>That lunchtime, Stella and Frankie had gone for a walk along the beach. They were linked arm in arm and discussed how much what had happened had affected them. It brought them closer together, even Stella agreed with that, and she'd been very cautious about trusting anyone again after her rape ordeal last year, but throughout that time, Frankie had been there for her more than anyone else, all her friends had supported her, but not like Frankie had. Numerous times he'd tried to tell her his true feelings, and Stella had felt the same about him too, but tried to hide those feelings, in fear of what had happened before might happen again. When Stella was hurt and nearly died, it was a wake up call to her and Frankie. Life's too short. She'd finally learned that she could trust him, Frankie was harmless, all he wanted to do was take care of Stella. She'd realised that, she'd finally accepted it and was ready to move on at last.<p> 


	10. Chapter Nine

"Good night last night?" Stella asked Marian, seeming extremely happy.

The previous night, Nick had treated Marian to a very posh dinner. On the same night, Stella and Frankie had gone to the cinema, how did the two dates go?

"Yes as a matter of fact, but forget about me and Nick, how about you and Frankie? Susie said you asked him out last night!" Marian replied.

The smile on Stella's face got bigger.

"I didn't exactly, I just suggested it and we went. Anyway, it went very well thank you and we're going out again tomorrow!" She sounded excited.

"I'm so glad you trust him now, what you went through must've been hard but you're doing so well, I'm so proud of you."

"Oh give over, you sound like me mother!" The two nurses smiled at each other.

* * *

><p>"What do you think we should do?" Matron asked. That morning, a patient had been admitted, she'd been raped.<p>

"Well, something we could do is get Stella to look after her?" Doctor Weatherill suggested.

"Is that really sensible? She's just got over her own ordeal, we don't really want to drag it all up again."

"I know, but she's the only one here that can understand what she's been through and still is…going through. Helen could do with someone who understands her, she's in pieces and all we can do is imagine." The doctor didn't know what to do.

Matron thought for a minute, then nodded.

"Alright, I'll talk to her now, but if she says no…"

"Then we'll leave it, I can understand if she doesn't want to."

* * *

><p>"Nurse?" Sister Brigid went up to Stella on the ward.<p>

"Yes Sister?" Stella answered.

"Matron would like to see you in her office now."

"Why? What for?" She puzzled.

"I don't know I'm afraid, but you'd better go now."

"Of course, thank you Sister." And with that, Stella left the ward and made her way to Matron's office.

* * *

><p>There was a knock at the door.<p>

"Come in!" Matron called.

Stella entered.

"Um…you wanted to see me Matron?" She said, slightly shy.

"Yes, please, sit down." Stella did as she was asked. "Now, Doctor Weatherill has a patient," Matron continued, "A seventeen year old girl and we wondered if you could help? She's…she's been raped and she's in bits, you're the only one here who could understand what she's going through…but of course if it brings back too many bad memories then you can just say no."

Stella looked taken aback.  
>"Did they find the man who did it?" She enquired immediately.<p>

Matron shook her head, regretfully.

"No, no they haven't yet I'm afraid. Would you help? She's barely said a word, she doesn't want to talk about but I think if she could talk to someone with a similar experience it might help."

"I know how she feels, I wouldn't have said anything if I'd had a choice. I'll help"

"Are you completely sure you're up to it?"

"I can't let her suffer because no-one understands, I know what that's like, and it's horrible. I want to help her, I really do."


	11. Chapter Ten

"Hello Helen, how are you feeling?" Doctor Weatherill asked.

Helen was curled up in her hospital bed, shaking and covered in bruises.

"I…" She couldn't speak, she was so frightened.

"It's alright, you're safe now, now, I'm going to get a nurse to look after you, her name is Stella and…she knows what you're going through."

"I…doubt it." Helen answered in a whisper.

"Trust me, she does, she's the best person here to look after you. She'll be along very soon."

Ten minutes later, Stella came scurrying down into the ward, she stopped to ask Marian who she was looking after and then walked over to Helen's bed, right at the end of the ward.

"You must be Helen?" She asked.

"Yes." Helen replied.

"I'm Stella, Doctor Weatherill told me what happened. I'm so sorry, it's such an awful thing to happen, but don't worry, you're safe now and the police will catch the man that did this to you…"

"Stop it! Just stop!" Helen snapped, suddenly even more scared than before, "you don't know what it's like, you're helpless and you can't move, you just freeze it's so awful. The doctor said you knew what it was like but you don't! None of you do!" And she burst out crying.

Stella put a comforting arm around her.

"I do Helen, more than you might think but I really do." She tried to convince the girl, her voice wobbling.

"NO YOU DON'T!" She shouted in devastation, she'd got herself so worked up, tears of anger and fright rolling down her bright red cheeks, "WERE YOU RAPED AND TOO SCARED TO ADMIT IT?"

Stella swallowed, close to tears herself.

"Yes, yes I was!" She paused for a moment, "And I felt like my life was completely falling apart and that no-one understood me…I'd never felt so alone in my whole life." She was trembling.

Helen rolled over and sat up slowly, Stella helped her gently.

"I'm really sorry Stella, I didn't know, I know what you mean, I don't know how I could ever get a normal life again…"

"You're petrified, I was the same, you only shouted because you're so scared, don't worry, I had a go at my friends when it happened to me and I thought I wouldn't get back to normal, but I did as best I could." Stella suddenly realised that it was visiting time, "is no-one coming to visit you?"

Helen shook her head, looking sad.

"I have no family left, I grew up in an orphanage and I never really fitted in, I had no friends and the staff ignored me as much as they could. I won't have any visitors."

"Oh you poor girl, look, I've been specially assigned to you, all I have to do is my ward rounds and some days I'm in Casualty too but I'll see you everyday."

"Thank you…Stella, did they ever catch the man that attacked you?" Helen asked.

"They did…but not because of me." Stella answered.

"What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath.

"I didn't want to report it at first, but the doctor said I should so I did and the police said it was my fault. Then they said they would follow it up and the man came and threatened me and said I was lying too. It was all so difficult and the case wasn't going well so eventually I decided to drop it, then someone beat my attacker up because he'd attacked their daughter so he ended up here, at The Royal and then the police came and arrested them."

"The police didn't believe you?" Helen sounded shocked.

"They didn't, they said I was drunk and wearing stupid clothes, I was on my way home from a fancy dress party, they said I got what I deserved, and I guess they were right."

"No Stella, these men never had the right to do to us what they did, they should be punished, it's obvious isn't it, he took advantage of you because you couldn't defend yourself."

Helen reached out and took Stella's hand, she squeezed it tight, they were both glad they had someone to talk to who understood.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Stella was sat in the tea room, on her break, thinking hard, when Frankie walked in.

"Do you want a cuppa?" He asked. She was staring into space, completely unaware that Frankie was in the room, let alone speaking to her. "Hello? Earth to Stella?" He waved his hand in front of her face.

Stella blinked.  
>"What? Oh, sorry...I was just thinking."<p>

"You want to be careful!" He grinned. Stella looked down at the table, trying to fight back the tears in her eyes.

Frankie noticed, pulled up a chair beside her and put his hand firmly on hers but she quickly snatched away.  
>"I'm sorry...I was only joking."<p>

"Oh it's alright, it's not that..." Stella's voice began to wobble.

"Stella?" Frankie asked gently, "what's wrong? Is it last night?"

"No, no! Last night was really good, it's nothing to do with that..."

"What is it then?"

"It's just a patient."

"Are they giving you grief? Because if they are they're going to have me to deal with!" He vowed.

Stella shook her head.  
>"It's a seventeen year old girl, she was raped and...she has no family of friends, it's tearing her apart and I hate watching her suffer knowing how she feels...I thought I could help her, I thought I'd got over it but everything just came rushing back and now..." She broke down in tears and Frankie held her close while she cried in his arms.<p>

"It's okay. Everything will be alright, you're so brave and I'm really proud of you." He tried to comfort her but she still sobbed and sobbed.

* * *

><p>Later on, Frankie was walking down the corridor when he passed Matron.<br>"Ah...Matron..." He said.

"Yes Frankie? Is everything okay?" She replied.

"Well, no...it's Stella..."

"What's happened?" Matron's voice suddenly acquired a concerned tone.

"She was in the tea room earlier, I could see something was troubling her and she broke down...this patient of hers, it's brought everything back, she told me herself, she thought she'd got over her own ordeal but now she's realised that she hasn't." He explained.

Matron looked horrified and bit her lip.  
>"She should have said...she said she wanted to help Helen, that she knows how she feels and that she couldn't let someone else face it alone with nobody who understood her like she had."<p>

Frankie shook his head.  
>"She'll probably never speak to me again for saying this but can you get someone else to look after Helen? It's too difficult for Stella."<p>

Matron nodded immediately.  
>"Yes, yes of course. I'll ask Marian to, she's probably the next best nurse to deal with this kind of thing, with her and Stella being close friends, she's had a little bit of experience."<p>

"Thank you Matron." He said and smiled. Matron nodded and then carried on down the corridor.

* * *

><p>"Where's Stella?" Asked a still nervous Helen, when Marian came to tend to her that evening.<p>

"She's...she's busy." Marian replied, uneasily.

"Please nurse, is she alright?" Helen had a pleading look in her eyes, it was clear that her and Stella had made a connection and become friends and all Helen was doing was looking out for her.

Marian hesitated for a moment.  
>"She was upset today, she broke down earlier, being asked to look after you brought everything from her own experience back. It's nothing against you I promise. I've been assigned to you now, I don't know what you've been through like Stella does but I tried to help her so I can try and do the same for you."<p>

"You're right, you will never, ever understand how we feel...and you have no right to tell patients about things that are nothing to do with anyone else!" Stella had gone to the ward and had heard everything Marian had said. There was a glint in her eyes, a glint of fear that was disguised by a glint of anger.

Marian spun around.  
>"Stella..." She started.<p>

"Haven't you said enough already?!" Stella was distraught, she tried and tried to hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes, she turned and stormed off.

"She doesn't mean it..." Helen said and hung her head, "I feel like that too, just like snapping at everyone, it's so hard...I know Stella's was longer ago but it must still be tough having to live with it...and I still have to face that."

"You'll do it Helen, you just have to be strong, Stella did and she's been through so much more recently and she tries so hard."

"If she can get through, then I'm going to try and be like her, I want to be strong too!" Helen said, with nothing but determination in her voice.


End file.
